The Bible warns us that, at times, good will be considered evil and evil will be thought of as good. But how does this transition happen?
Simple. We remove God from the equation.
For most of us, living a Christian life seems like the way it has always been, as if it were human nature to follow Christ’s footsteps. Unfortunately, the opposite it true. Jesus’ entry into humanity was a game changer, a paradigm shift in thought.
The narrow road that Jesus expects us to take is difficult because it is NOT how we are on our own. It is OPPOSITE of our human tendency because God expects us to live a selfless existence. Life without God will invariably become a selfish existence and the dominoes of that approach snowball into an evil world.
When we are not focused on God, our natural tendency is, to then, focus on ourselves. If we focus on ourselves, evil becomes good.
- If we focus on ourselves, my lustful pleasures are more important.
- My financial greed is more important.
- What I want makes me envious of what others have.
- I eat what I want to eat, no matter what anyone else says.
- If it’s all about me, I don’t care about what others feel or think and I can then express my anger anyway I see fit.
- In my selfishness, I am only concerned about my accomplishments and take great pride in my own worth.
- If my world revolves around me, I stop doing what I don’t want to do and only engage in activities that benefit me.
And all of those selfish approaches are called the Seven Deadly Sins: Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Anger, Pride and Sloth.
- Without God, it makes no sense to remain chaste. Why put off pleasure for later when I can get it now?
- Why be generous when it takes away from what I’ve acquired?
- Why moderate my appetites when it benefits me to indulge in them?
- Why love people who don’t love me?
- Why turn the other cheek when I can, instead, seek my revenge?
- Why shy away from my own accomplishments when no one else is?
- And why do anything I don’t want to do and remain diligent in doing those things I hate?
Without God, the Seven Holy Virtues make no sense what-so-ever: Chastity, Generosity, Temperance, Brotherly Love, Meekness, Humility and Diligence.
In a life without God:
- When everyone is looking out for themselves, any sexual activity that makes me feel good should be okay.
- The consequences of my actions should be removed if their outcome is a detriment to what I planned for my life, like having a baby.
- Humans revert back to and embrace their animal instincts. The survival of the fittest is all that matters. People who don’t contribute to society are not worth keeping around. The deformed, the elderly, the weak and the lazy should be removed from society so that I won’t have to support them anymore.
- I, not God, am the center of all things. I become a narcissist and assume anyone who doesn’t think as I do must be ignorant and foolish, because my own self-importance must make me better than everyone else.
- Sacraments mean nothing, traditions mean nothing, covenants mean nothing.
- Stuff means everything. It’s all about how much I make, or how much I own, or how much I spend, or how much I collect.
- My word means nothing. I will say whatever I need to say to get what I want when I want it and will say something different tomorrow if the results benefit me.
- I need to have as much as everyone else. I am justified in my envy. I should be able to take from others as long as I get what I want.
If you look around at the state of society, we are living in a world without God. Nearly all behavior is acceptable. Greed and envy are at the root of class warfare. TV hosts spew falsehoods and half-truths without consequence and assume those who disagree are ignorant and close minded. People are famous for simply existing, yet others in society are dismissed and killed for simply existing.
Mothers kill their own children because they don’t fit into their plans and are more focused on gathering things and stuff than raising their children. Fathers abandon their responsibilities to their spouse and children when things get hard or inconvenient. Websites dedicated to lust are the most viewed in the world and others actively promote adultery and the destruction of marriage.
The most heartless and ruthless leaders in the modern world were atheists: Stalin, Pol Pot, Maoi, Hitler. When you remove God from the equation, life becomes a luxury that can be taken from those who get in your way.
Do not take your Christian upbringing for granted or it will evaporate from society right before your eyes. Be diligent, faithful, knowledgeable and examples to others. This country was founded on the freedom of religion, not just the freedom to worship. Worship ends at the church doors. Religion permeates every facet of you life.
Before it’s too late, lets remake this world into one WITH God, a God that is active in ever facet of our lives.
Live your faith, loudly!